The first time I encountered the word “hygge” was when I was on the search of a minimalist lifestyle. But what in the world does it mean? Before I try to break it down, let’s try to understand what Minimalism is.
Minimalism movement in the form of Western art and music has its roots dated back to post WWII, and later adapted by the Japanese in form of architecture, from which I believe was the real start of it being called a lifestyle. This was to help them mute out the overpowering presence of the outside world. Being a minimalist means, as the word is very much self-explanatory, living only with the very basic necessities in life and decluttering or easing the mind by seeing less. Although being a minimalist has a lot of pros, a lot of people nowadays find this kind of lifestyle difficult to follow as it is very much restricting.
To know more of its history, click here.
Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah; or to be “hyggeligt”) is a Danish word that doesn’t require any learning or how to, adopting it as a lifestyle or buying anything. Hygge, has no direct English meaning, rather, it is a compound word that means to be in a good feeling, to be of comfort and relaxed state.
The kind of comfort would vary from person to person, and yet the limitation of it would be having an ambiance that is the opposite of the feeling we want — relaxed — or a sense of an “I don’t care” vibe.
It literally only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present. That’s why so many people distill ‘hygge’ down to being a ‘feeling’ – because if you don’t feel hygge, you probably aren’t using the word right.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism
Sheyanna Guerra
